High-Octane 2nd Leads Flyers Over Rangers

As the seconds ticked away in the third period, the decible level Wells Fargo Center slowly rose to a deafening crescendo.

The sounds of victory filled the Flyers barn for the first time in 2013, and they couldn't have come at a more important time.

For a moment, the Flyers put behind them a trio of injuries and a suspension to earn their first win of the season, a 2-1 final that didn't reflect just how much the Flyers dominated the game.

Philadelphia out-shot New York, 33-19 throughout the game. But it was a 17-8 second period that saw the Flyers score their two goals.

They were putting constant pressure on Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who stopped 31 shots total. All the shooting finally paid off in the second half of the game.

With 8:07 remaining in the second period, defenseman Nick Grossmann fired a soft wrister from the left circle. The puck bounced off Wayne Simmonds' skate and got past Lundqvist to give the Flyers a 1-0 lead.

They kept the pressure going on the Rangers, intensifying in the physical department as well.

Rookie Tye McGinn was roughed by Kris Newbury, and the two dropped the gloves. McGinn threw Newbury around like a rag doll, bringing the fans at the Wells Fargo Center to their feet.

Newbury's roughing penalty put the Flyers back on the powerplay and they capitalized. After a mad scramble on the doorstep where the Rangers failed to clear, Jakub Voracek burried the loose puck to give Philadelphia a 2-0 lead.

The third period opened up with the Rangers cutting the lead in half. Grossmann made a nice block, but the puck bounced off his legs and onto the stick of Tyler Pyatt who put the puck past Ilya Bryzgalov to make it a 2-1 game.

Bryzgalov stepped his game up tremendously after that, and so did the Flyers. After back-to-back bad penalties, that started with a four-minute high stick called on McGinn, the Rangers had a two-minute 5-on-3 opportunity.

Bryzgalov slid across the crease and stoned Rick Nash early in the 5-on-3. That play along with a diving clear by Maxime Talbot drew an ear-splittling ovation from the Flyers fans.

It also set the tone for the rest of the kill, in which the Flyers flustered the Rangers and prevented them from getting any more quality chances.

Bryzgalov finished the night stopping 18 of the 19 shots he faced, earning his first win of the season. Bryzgalov has been fantastic for the Flyers through the first four games this season.

MESZAROS HURT

Flyers defenseman Andrej Meszaros appeared to have been hurt in the second period.

He was favoring his shoulder as he went up the tunnel and didn't return. After the game, general manager Paul Holmgren said that Meszaros had an injured shoulder and that he will be evaluated tomorrow.

The Flyers have already lost Scott Hartnell for 4-8 weeks, and have Zac Rinaldo and Danny Briere healing from their injuries. They can't afford to have a defenseman go down.